What Is UNDEAD? A Zombie BL Manga That Actually Works
UNDEAD is an ongoing BL manga written by Fumi Tsuyuhisa with art by Fumi Tsuyuhisa. It’s been serialized — meaning new chapters are published on a regular schedule — in Monthly Asuka, a manga magazine from publisher Kadokawa Shoten, since August 2023. As of May 2025, 4 collected Japanese volumes have been released.
The premise is immediately compelling: a college senior named Ryōsuke gets turned into a zombie during the apocalypse — but he keeps his consciousness. He can think, feel, and reason exactly like he did when he was alive. The catch? He can’t speak. Readers experience his internal monologue while he navigates a world that wants him dead (again).
Enter Ritsu, a calm and mysterious young man whose blood has an unusual property: it attracts zombies. That sounds like a curse, but Ritsu treats it as a tool. He needs a zombie ally for protection, and Ryōsuke needs a living companion who won’t try to kill him on sight. Their partnership of convenience gradually evolves into something much deeper.
What makes the romance mechanism genuinely interesting is the communication barrier. Ryōsuke can think and feel everything — but he can’t say a word. The entire relationship develops through actions, gestures, and unspoken understanding rather than confessions or dialogue. If you want a zombie manga with real emotional stakes and a BL romance that feels earned — not tacked on as an afterthought — UNDEAD delivers.
Recognition and Ratings
The manga community has taken notice. UNDEAD placed 2nd at the BL Award 2025 (an annual fan-voted award recognizing the best BL manga of the year) and received a nomination for the Next Manga Award 2025 (a Japanese award highlighting promising newer series).
Reader ratings are strong across major manga tracking platforms:
- MyAnimeList score: 7.93 out of 10 (MyAnimeList is one of the largest databases for tracking and rating manga and anime)
- MangaUpdates rating: 8.48 out of 10 (MangaUpdates is a community-driven manga database known for detailed series information)
These numbers reflect what readers are saying: the combination of horror and romance actually works here.
Series Status
UNDEAD is ongoing with 4 Japanese volumes published. Tokyopop (LoveLove imprint) — a major publisher that translates and releases Japanese manga in English — announced their English license in January 2025, with Volume 1 arriving June 17, 2025. As of this writing, no anime adaptation has been announced.
UNDEAD: Finding Love in the Zombie Apocalypse, Volume 1
Quick Facts
- Title: UNDEAD
- Story: Fumi Tsuyuhisa
- Art: Fumi Tsuyuhisa
- Serialization: Monthly Asuka (Kadokawa Shoten), since August 2023 — manga chapters are first published in magazines like this, then collected into numbered volumes
- Japanese volumes: 4 (ongoing)
- English publisher: Tokyopop (LoveLove imprint)
- EN Vol. 1 release: June 17, 2025
- Price: $13.00 per volume (178 pages)
- Age rating: Older Teen
Story and Setting — What Happens in UNDEAD
The story opens in a world already overrun by zombies. Ryōsuke was an ordinary college senior before everything collapsed. Now he’s one of the undead — shambling, rotting, dangerous to anyone who sees him.
But his mind is completely intact.
This is the hook that makes UNDEAD work. Ryōsuke experiences everything: the horror of his new existence, the isolation of being unable to communicate, the desperate hope when he meets someone who doesn’t immediately try to destroy him. Readers get his internal monologue throughout, creating an intimacy that wouldn’t be possible if he could just… talk.
The Partnership
Ritsu appears early in the story as an enigma. He’s utterly calm around zombies — no fear, no panic, just practical assessment. His blood attracts the undead, which should make him the most vulnerable person in the wasteland. Instead, he’s figured out how to use it.
He proposes a deal to Ryōsuke: travel together. Ritsu gets a zombie ally who can protect him from groups of hostile undead. Ryōsuke gets a human companion who treats him like a person, not a monster.
It’s a survival partnership at first. But spending every day together — sharing dangers, watching each other’s backs, building trust when trust should be impossible — changes things.
Ritsu’s Mystery
One of the ongoing threads in UNDEAD is figuring out who Ritsu actually is. His calm around zombies isn’t normal. His blood’s strange properties aren’t explained. He clearly has a history with this apocalypse that he’s not sharing.
Without spoiling volumes 2 and beyond, the story layers in revelations gradually. Each volume peels back a little more of Ritsu’s backstory while deepening the bond between the two leads.
The Communication Barrier
Here’s where the storytelling gets clever. Ryōsuke can’t speak. He can gesture, he can act, but he can’t tell Ritsu what he’s thinking or feeling. The romance develops almost entirely through actions and unspoken understanding.
This constraint forces the story to show rather than tell. When Ryōsuke protects Ritsu, you feel the weight of it. When Ritsu responds to Ryōsuke with casual trust — treating him as a partner rather than a monster — the significance lands without anyone spelling it out.
It’s a romance built on vulnerability and demonstrated care, not declarations. For BL readers, this is what makes the UNDEAD manga BL relationship feel distinct from most titles in the genre.
What Makes UNDEAD Stand Out Among BL Manga
BL manga covers a huge range of settings: schools, offices, fantasy kingdoms, historical periods. Zombie apocalypse is… not common. And when zombie stories do appear in BL, they’re usually played for comedy — cute zombies, absurd situations, horror as a punchline.
UNDEAD plays it straight.
The Horror Is Real
The zombie groups in UNDEAD are genuinely threatening. There’s gore, there’s tension, there’s real danger. The art doesn’t shy away from showing what zombies look like and what they do. Survival is difficult. Death is always one mistake away.
This matters for the romance because it gives everything stakes. When Ryōsuke and Ritsu protect each other, they’re risking actual destruction. The bond they build isn’t happening in a safe environment — it’s forming under constant pressure.
Art That Serves Both Genres
Fumi Tsuyuhisa’s art handles a tricky balancing act. UNDEAD needs to work as horror manga and BL manga simultaneously. The zombie designs need to be unsettling. The quiet character moments need emotional resonance. The shifts between “running from a swarm” and “sharing a rare peaceful moment” need to feel natural.
The art delivers. Horror sequences are visceral and tense. Character moments slow down, letting expressions and body language carry the emotion. The contrast makes both sides hit harder.
How UNDEAD Compares to Other Zombie BL
Most zombie BL titles — series like Kichiku Neko’s zombie-themed one-shots or lighthearted zombie boyfriend comedies — lean comedic or absurdist. There’s nothing wrong with that approach. Sometimes you want a lighthearted zombie romance. But if you’re looking for something with genuine tension and emotional weight, the options are limited.
UNDEAD occupies a specific niche: serious horror, serious romance, neither undercutting the other. If that’s what you’re after, this delivers in a way that most zombie BL doesn’t attempt.
The Emotional Core
Strip away the zombies and the apocalypse, and UNDEAD is about finding connection when everything is destroyed. Ryōsuke has lost his humanity in the literal sense — he’s undead, he can’t speak, the world sees him as a monster. Ritsu moves through the wasteland alone, using his dangerous blood as a tool rather than forming real bonds.
They both have reasons to stay isolated. The story is about choosing connection anyway.
Volume Guide and English Release Schedule
Here’s the current publication status for UNDEAD:
Japanese Volumes
| Volume | Status |
|---|---|
| Volume 1 | Released |
| Volume 2 | Released |
| Volume 3 | Released |
| Volume 4 | Released |
UNDEAD: Finding Love in the Zombie Apocalypse, Volume 1
UNDEAD: Finding Love in the Zombie Apocalypse, Volume 2
The series is ongoing in Monthly Asuka, so more volumes will follow.
English Volumes (Tokyopop (LoveLove imprint))
Tokyopop (LoveLove imprint) announced the English license in January 2025. Here’s the release schedule:
| Volume | Release Date | Price | Pages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volume 1 | June 17, 2025 | $13.00 | 178 |
| Volume 2 | August 19, 2025 | $13.00 | 178 |
| Volumes 3-4 | TBA | TBA | TBA |
According to MangaUpdates, Tokyopop (LoveLove imprint) has 6 English volumes planned, which suggests they’re expecting the series to continue beyond the current 4 Japanese volumes.
You can pre-order or purchase physical and digital editions from retailers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and BookWalker once they’re available. The BUY links in the table above will take you directly to product pages.
Age Rating
UNDEAD carries an Older Teen rating. This reflects the horror violence (zombie gore, survival situations) rather than explicit romantic content. The series runs in Monthly Asuka, a shōjo (girls’) manga magazine, which means the romantic content stays non-explicit — expect emotional intimacy and tension rather than graphic scenes.
Where to Read
Physical volumes: Tokyopop (LoveLove imprint) English editions are available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other major book retailers starting June 2025.
Digital: Tokyopop (LoveLove imprint) digital editions will be available through platforms like BookWalker, Kindle, and Kobo.
Free preview: MANGA.CLUB (mangaclub.net) offers 5 chapters for free, which covers most of Volume 1. This is a legitimate, licensed platform — a good way to sample before buying.
Fan translations: You may find fan-translated chapters (sometimes called scanlations — unofficial translations made by fans) on sites like MangaDex. These can be a way to preview the series, but once the official English release arrives, buying the licensed volumes directly supports the creators and helps ensure the series continues getting translated.
Is UNDEAD Worth Reading? Who It’s For
Let’s break down who will love UNDEAD and who might want something different.
You’ll Love UNDEAD If You’re…
A horror fan curious about BL: If you enjoy zombie stories and survival horror but haven’t explored BL manga much, UNDEAD is an excellent entry point. The horror is genuine, not watered down for the romance. You’re getting a real zombie apocalypse story that happens to have a BL relationship at its center.
A BL reader wanting something with stakes: If you’ve read a lot of school or office BL and want something with more tension, UNDEAD delivers. The apocalyptic setting means every choice matters. The romance develops under pressure, which gives it weight that low-stakes settings can’t match.
A zombie genre fan looking for a fresh angle: Zombie fiction has covered a lot of ground. Survival horror, action, comedy, social commentary — most approaches have been done repeatedly. A zombie story centered on the internal experience of a sentient zombie, with a BL romance built around the communication barrier, is genuinely novel.
Someone who likes slow-burn romance: “Slow-burn” means the relationship builds gradually over many chapters rather than happening quickly. The bond between Ryōsuke and Ritsu develops through demonstrated trust and shared danger, not instant attraction. If you prefer romances that earn their emotional beats through patient buildup, this pacing will work for you.
UNDEAD Might Not Be For You If…
You want explicit BL content: UNDEAD runs in a shōjo (girls’) manga magazine and the romantic content stays within those boundaries — meaning emotional and atmospheric rather than sexually graphic. The romance is heartfelt and the attraction is clear, but don’t expect explicit scenes. If that’s what you’re looking for, this won’t satisfy.
You want lighthearted zombie comedy: Some zombie BL titles play the premise for laughs — cute zombie boyfriends, absurd situations, horror as comedy. UNDEAD is not that. The horror is played straight, the stakes are real, and the tone is serious (with moments of warmth, but not comedy).
You need complete series only: With 4 Japanese volumes and an ongoing serialization, UNDEAD isn’t finished. The English release is just starting with Volume 1 in June 2025. If you only read completed series, you’ll need to wait.
Content Notes
- Horror violence: Zombie attacks, gore, survival danger. This is a horror manga and looks like one.
- BL romance: The central relationship is between two male characters. The series is categorized as BL (Boys’ Love).
- Older Teen rating: Appropriate for older teens and adults. The horror content is the main reason for the rating.
- Reading format: Like most manga, UNDEAD is read right-to-left. If this is your first manga, start at what would be the “back” of the book in Western publishing — the pages and panels flow from right to left.
The Verdict
UNDEAD does something genuinely interesting by committing fully to both its horror and its romance. Neither element feels like an afterthought or a compromise. The 2nd place finish at BL Award 2025 and the strong reader ratings (7.93 on MAL, 8.48 on MangaUpdates) reflect a manga that’s landing with its audience.
With Volume 1 releasing in English on June 17, 2025, now is a great time to start. The series is still early enough that catching up is easy — 4 Japanese volumes, with the English edition just beginning. If the premise sounds appealing, grab Volume 1 and see for yourself.
UNDEAD: Finding Love in the Zombie Apocalypse, Volume 1
If you’ve ever thought “I wish there was a zombie story with real emotional depth” or “I wish there was a BL manga with actual stakes” — UNDEAD is the strongest answer available right now. The story is still ongoing, so there’s more to come, but the first four volumes make a compelling case on their own.